How To Get Your Kids To Sit At The Table And Eat

When mealtimes feel hard, try these kind ideas to help. They work even if your child is super strong-willed or very picky. 

​When my sweet toddler moved from her high chair to sit with us at the table, I shared her excitement. I felt proud at how grown up she had become. But then she discovered freedom and our mealtimes changed. 
No longer stuck in her high chair, she began jumping down from her seat at will and running around the table. It was cute and fun at first as she made laps of the table, full of giggles. 
But before long, more time was spent roaming the kitchen than sitting at the table. She insisted she needed to:

• Find that special toy right now
• Peep inside the washing machine 
• Chase the dog

Trying to remain calm, I encouraged her, on repeat, to take her seat and eat her food. A memory of the rigid mealtimes of my childhood, when we did not dare leave the table until we finished eating, nagged at me. I didn’t want that same experience for my daughter. I wanted to avoid power struggles and enjoy mealtimes together as a family.

So, my negotiations and pleas continued and soon she wouldn’t sit at the table at all. Food would go uneaten yet twenty minutes later she was begging for snacks. 
​
Clearly, mealtimes were not working but I didn’t know what to do about it. 

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